"Now we get into site planning," he said. "This is the nuts and bolts of the project."

During Tuesday night's regular meeting of village trustees, a divided board narrowly approved Rivertowns Square's environmental findings statement, a state-mandated document that addresses standards and guidelines under the state Environmental Quality Review Act. The 4-3 vote is the final step in a two-year assessment of resident concerns ranging from vehicular traffic flow and sidewalk widths to what types of signs can be used.

If built, Rivertowns Square would sit on 17.7 acres in the eastern part of Dobbs Ferry in the vicinity of Ogden Avenue, Lawrence Street and the Saw Mill River Parkway. An earlier final environmental impact statement filed by developers Saber Dobbs Ferry LLC and Lincoln Dobbs Ferry LLC showed a slightly scaled-back development that features 202 apartments, some of them meeting affordable-housing requirements; an 18,000-square-foot gourmet market; 61,300 square feet of retail and restaurant space; and a 123-room hotel. There would be 1,222 parking spaces.

A movie theater is planned by the Sundance Cinema chain, which is owned by Hollywood actor Robert Redford. According to Serrano, the project also intends to bring in Mrs. Green's, a local health food store chain.

The proposal must be studied by the village Planning Board and the village Architectural and Historic Review Board, which have not scheduled meetings on the proposal. Once those boards have completed their discussions, the developers will return to the trustees for a final vote to grant or deny building permits.